CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM S.B. 93: COMMITTEE SUMMARY
Senate Bill 93 (as introduced 1-26-05)
Sponsor: Senator Valde Garcia
Committee: Education
Date Completed: 2-10-05
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Revised School Code to require the Michigan Department of Education, for the 2008-2009 school year and succeeding school years, to develop and make available to school districts and public school academies one or more model character development programs that the districts and academies could adopt and implement. A school board or the board of directors of a public school academy would be encouraged to provide a comprehensive character development program for pupils in each grade level it operated.
The character development program would have to be similar to the Michigan model for comprehensive school health education character education curriculum, the character counts program, the character first: education series, or the character unlimited program.
All of the following would apply to the character development program:
-- It would have to be secular and research-based and have documented effectiveness.
-- It would have to teach core ethical values and character qualities such as honesty, fairness, kindness, courtesy, compassion, acceptance, responsibility, respect for self and others, respect for the property of others, and service to others and to the community.
-- It would have to be designed to encourage each pupil to become a responsible, contributing member of society.
-- It "should" be incorporated, as much as possible, into each school's regular curriculum and classroom instruction.
-- It "should" be integrated into each school's procedures and environment to develop a school climate that promoted positive character traits.
The Department's obligation to develop the program and make it available would be limited to the amount of funds the Department had available to fulfill its duties under the bill.
The bill would take effect on October 1, 2007.
Proposed MCL 380.1163 Legislative Analyst: Claire Layman
FISCAL IMPACT
To develop a character development program under this legislation, the Department of Education would face increased costs. Specifically, the Department would see increased labor costs for those employees necessary to develop and disseminate a character development curriculum, and there would be associated research, development, and
distribution costs. However, if the Department had no available funds to devote to this program development, then that obligation would be removed.
Fiscal Analyst: Kathryn Summers-Coty
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb93/0506